After a few days of seasonable but cool weather, we got a warm day just in time for the weekend. We took the short drive to Redondo Beach and stopped at an overlook near the pier. I was photographing the waves and seagulls on the beach when a brown gull swooped up towards us.
There are a couple more photos below the fold.
Most of the time we have marine haze or fog along the coastline in the Los Angeles area. Today, however, the air is remarkably clear, thanks to a little cool front passing through. I wasn’t able to stop in traffic this morning to photograph Catalina Island, so I dug this photo out of the archives taken on a similar day last winter.
This photo is a segment cut from a Panoramic view of Catalina Island.
Captain Ed and the First Mate are visiting Southern California and we say welcome. Glad the weather is nice for them – we were out in our Chrysler Sebring convertable today as well. It was just beautiful!
Just remember, however, that the chamber of commerce will be reluctant to tell you about the other weather we have hereabouts:
This is the time of year that our usual coastal fog is replaced by upper clouds. When I was a kid, our family called this “buttermilk” skies. I snapped this picture a couple of days ago during my noontime walk.
The twin spacecraft mission STEREO blasted off from Cape Canaveral in a nighttime launch last night. STEREO, which stands for Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory, is a two-spacecraft mission to observe solar activity from two vantage points in orbit around the sun. the spacecraft, identified as A (ahead) and B (behind), will head for the Moon to get a gravitational “slingshot” into orbit. B will be flung into orbit behind the Earth while A will return to the Moon for another boost into orbit ahead of Earth. This separation in space provides a unique view of the Sun from orbits with a similar distance from the Sun as the Earth, while imaging from points away from our planet. The spacecraft will assume their stations near Lagrange points L4 and L5.
Image right: STEREO Night Launch – courtesy NASA
In a previous article, I established that the average global temperature has generally risen over the past century. The graphic to the right (courtesy NOAA) clearly shows this temperature increase. There is little doubt that the planet is warming and that global temperature trends over the past 400 years have been directly proportional to observed solar activity. Sunspot counts are high when temperatures increase, and
low when temperatures decrease.
The graphic to the left (Courtesy CO2 Science) shows sea level and rate of sea level change over the past 200 years or so. A quick observation shows sea levels decreased from 1800 to 1860 at which time a minimum level reversed. Note also that the rate of sea level change (the bottom line on the graph) turned toward a higher rate of change just prior to that time. Note also that the rate of change went from negative to positive at the same time the minimum sea level occurred. You can also see that sea levels have steadily increased during the portion of the graph where the rate of change is positive. Finally, note that the rate of change peaked out around 1950 and dropped into a trough and then another peak, lower than the 1950 peak, around 1998 or so.
What’s the point? Well, if global warming is melting the ice caps and glaciers, one might expect that the rate of sea level change would also be increasing — but that’s not true according to the graph above. Since 1950 or so, global temperatures increased but the rate of sea level rise has not increased. Moreover there is considerable evidence that Antartic ice sheets are becoming thicker.
The matter of sea level change is discussed by the editors at CO2 Science who conclude the editorial with the following insightful remarks:
Clearly, either something is drastically wrong with climate-alarmist theory, or something is drastically wrong with the pertinent real-world data. Although many people choose to believe the theory over the data – or they promote the theory in spite of believing the data (or they simply ignore the data) for philosophical or political reasons – we find it much more compelling – and satisfying – to both believe the data and act in harmony with that belief.
So we ask you what we ask ourselves almost every day: what do you believe? … why do you believe it? … and how do you act in light of that belief?
Finally, quoting the famous author Michael Crichton . . .
“Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.”
Depending upon where you are in the world, the Harvest Moon will take place on either this Thursday or Friday. The occurrence of the Harvest Moon in October happens about one in four years. The latest a Harvest Moon can occur is October 7th or 8th, depending on your relative position to the date line.
The Harvest Moon gets it’s name because it happens at the beginning of harvesting season in the Northern Hemisphere. Since modern agriculture is not as dependent on the light of the Harvest Moon, it has become a symbol for the beginning of the festive and colorful fall season. Halloween isn’t too far in the future and Thanksgiving Day will be here before you know it.
And speaking of moonlight, did you know that most people cannot perceive color nor can they read by the light of the moon? See NASA’s Strange Moonlight for some interesting information on the Harvest Moon and human eyesight in the moonlight.
